Brock Khyri Thomas Jersey Purdy helped lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in his first full-time season as a starter in 2023.Purdy who was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft led the NFL with a 113.0 pa ser rating and averaged a league-high 9.6 yards per completion while completing 69.4 percent of his pa ses for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. That helped establish him as a legitimate MVP candidate and one of the best young pa sers in the NFL.Purdy, however, was nearly robbed of the opportunity to prove himself. How? 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan admitted that the team tried to sign Tom Brady to play ahead of Purdy for the 2023 NFL season.MORE: Shanahan's admi sion came in an interview with . Shanahan wasasked about an ESPN story that noted San Francisco's desire to sign Brady."Im glad you asked me that question," Shanahan told King.Shanahan wasted no time confirming that his team's interest in the veteran quarterback was legitimate."Yes, I was serious about it," Shanahan said of signing Brady.Shanahan's reason for considering Brady was simple. Purdy had suffered a torn UCL in the NFC championship game against the Eagles. With Trey Lance also recovering from a broken leg, Shanahan was concerned about the state of his quarterback room."As we talked, Im looking at Brock, and hes got his arm in a sling, and I really am not sure Ive got a quarterback whos going to be ready for the start of the 2023 season," Shanahan detailed. "That started all of this."MORE:Shanahan kept Purdy in the loop regarding his plans, and he tried to put a positive spin on it for the second-year quarterback."I actually thought it was giving Brock the biggest compliment," Shanahan said. Thon Maker Jersey "I let him know hes our guy long-term. No question. And if Tom Brady wanted to come here and start for one year, thats the only way youre not starting when youre healthy this year. Thats pretty cool. I wanted to a sure him, 'Dont worry. Youre our guy. But how cool would it be if Tom Brady would be the quarterback here for one season? How cool would it be for you to learn from him?'I mean, if Brock never got hurt, this wouldnt have been a consideration at all. Id never have brought it up. But Ive got to think about the team. What if hes not ready in September?"Of course, the 49ers' efforts to sign Brady were for naught, as the veteran quarterback didn't repeat hisretirement and unretirement act from the previous offseason. Instead, San Francisco signed Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen, to compete on the team's quarterback depth chart behind Purdy and Lance.Ultimately, Purdy healed before the 2023 NFL season began. That made him the runaway choice for the starting job, as Lance was traded to the Cowboys while Darnold and Allen settled into their second- and third-string roles respectively.MORE: Had the 49ers lured Brady to the Bay Area, Purdy's breakout may have been delayed by a year.But certainly, Shanahan and Co. have to be happy with how things played out this season. Deividas Sirvydis Jersey